Another broken promise from Labour, they are coming thick and fast.
Chris Hipkins, having scrapped charter schools (presumably prodded with sharp sticks from the teacher unions into reluctantly enacting that singular action) now looks like he wants to step back from the bowel emptying terror of actually doing something to change our slanted and broken education system and collapse with relief into the familiar fug of bullshitting do-nothing managerialism that seems far, far more suited to Labour’s current cowardly crop of neoliberal tinkerers, party apparachiks and do-nothing careerists.
I always said give this government a year to prove itself or otherwise. So far, it has been nothing but a rinse and repeat of National lite.
And, knowing National Govts, over time it would also have proven to be a new means of surreptitious under-funding and cutting costs. State schools would have become poorer under a scheme with a fancy new name.
It was a National government plan and one Labour never said they would enact – so no broken promise.
You also seem to be presuming that National’s own plan was not the neo-liberal move (it involved detailed profiling of each family – birth parent or step-parent family etc rather than the more singular income/decile).
One reason it was rejected, the cost of $100M the new Minister said there were better uses that had more immediacy.
A very welcome back TS,
We all missed you yesterday, where did you go?
Were you up on the crown range stuck in the snow?
Anyway welcome home folks.
Lots to cover today, beginning with Tally’s and Stanford’s found in a leaked report to RNZ apparently lying and fixing the amount they are reporting of catching Hoki, but I was not surprised that these two companies were found lying again.
“Some of the country’s biggest fishing companies have been under-reporting their hoki catch by hundreds of tonnes, according to a leaked fisheries report.”
The NZ Fishing industry are a lawless and entitled sector, like big dairy but far, far from the gaze of regulators out at sea.
They are litigious, bullying and dishonest and the politicians are terrified of the way they rush to the courts and to dirty politics the second they are crossed.
I wondered why we got a flurry of warm fuzzy TV ads from the fishing industry recently. They must have known that this 2011 (was it?) report was finally coming out. They seem to be full of promises now.
We still are getting false emails from our Microsoft server even though Mark Zuckaberg are pleading in Europe they did nothing wrong?????
Bullshit Mark; – fix this then!!!!!!!
We don’t even have an apple account!!!!!!!!
Quote; this is what we got today.
—————————————————————————————————————
Your Apple ID has been locked out for security reasons.
Dear customer,
We regret to inform that your Apple ID has been locked for security reasons.
We need to confirm your identity because we noticed unusual activity in your account.
Confirm your identity.
This is an urgent matter
Why are you receiving this emails?
Thank you very much.
The Apple Accounts Team.
—————————————————————————————————————–
of course it is a scam and as I said ‘we are not surprised at the web now, it is ‘the wild west’ again out there being run by crooked corporations no doubt.
Capitalism and the hard right neo-liberals are now very desperate to make a buck it seems.
The email its coming from should always end in apple.com.
Emails from Apple will always address you by name, and never by “Dear customer” or “Dear Sir or Madame”
Apple will never ask for private details through email.
You can always log in to http://appleid.apple.com with your Apple Id and passworrd, and if it is locked it will tell you there, and will tell you what to do to unlock it.
dv – thanks for the ‘constructive feedback – appreciated. 100%
We binned the email straight away and smelt a rat there but we worry haw many are being rorted this way, so we have sent Zuckerberg a challenge fix it or get a real job.
Out of curiosity, and it is a serious question, why do you think that this has something to do with Facebook?
I do not, and never will have, anything to do with Facebook but I have had the odd e-mail like these. It never occurred to me that it had anything to do with Facebook. What is the connection?
Lol – you google that but cannot google the obviously false bitcoins adverts and come on here pretending they are real just because the have key in them.
They’re not betraying their country out of some sort of ideological bent, it’s just the fastest way they can think of to get paid, and never mind the slug-trail of evidence because President!
Trump lawyer ‘paid by Ukraine’ to arrange White House talks…
We saw today that law changes are afoot in US to scale back the leaking of information and the opposition politicians using intelligence ‘operates’ planted inside politicians offices now.
Some issues are said to arise when this report is released.
Rosemary – I thought the same, so Googled ‘moran’.
It may be that OAB was using a subtle linguistic trick. He may also have simply misspelt it, but I suspect not.
OAB Please act civil will you, not be so insulting and personally using defaming aggressive attacks like that word I wont repeat it is so offensive.
The link we sent is about Trump’s legal team; – about to release a report showing US intelligence being used against his political position and not about Ukraine specifically as you wrongly state, but more about FBI/CIA/NSA using deep state interference and use of ‘source codes’.
We heard about this when whistle blowers came out (Edward Snowden) ilk etc; and Hillary Clinton email contents. which may be very interesting don’t you think?
quote;
” It’s unclear whether Trump has seen that report, but a draft has been circulated internally. Its release is sure to heighten scrutiny on the bureau’s actions in 2016. Already, reports have emerged that the IG will fault the FBI for sitting on a batch of Clinton emails discovered late in the campaign.”
Why are to attempting to derail and change the subject? What has your right wing serial rapist’s propaganda to do with Michael Cohen being greedy and stupid? Stop being so rude: if you must inflict your Clinton drivel on people get some manners and start your own thread.
On a side note, it’s good there is talk of bringing the referendum forward as the Government failed to address the urgent need under their medicinal cannabis reform.
However, holding the referendum at the next election would help encourage more Green supporters to come out and vote on the day, thus bringing it forward may not be so beneficial for them (the Greens).
If any journalists want a decent story about corrupt cowboys feeding at the government trough while victimising vulnerable people…
Spencer & Henshaw. Govt contracted for HNZ work.
e.g. 1. Five visits to fit one sliding bolt.
e.g. 2. Four visits to replace one window pane.
e.g. 3. Trying to fight me (physically) when I complained they’d cut the internet line.
e.g. 4. Turning up unannounced anytime and wandering around the place even if you are not home.
e.g. 5. Inspectors to check the inspectors been. Then, inspectors of inspector inspectors. I shit you not.
e.g. 6. Drainage laid without protective layering over pipes, just concrete and fill straight on top of PVC. Regulations – who needs them?
e.g. 7. Demolishing my chicken coop with a digger while the chickens were still in it.
Need I go on? I am only one person. I can’t begin to imagine the extent their double/triple/quadruple billing has on HNZ’s bottom line. Or the psychological damage their bullying entitled strutting round and standing over vulnerable clientele has done.
Don’t feel safe in my own home. Anytime, anywhere, those fuckers could turn up.
Yesterday they arrived unannounced with a 3 ton digger to pull up my driveway. Why? Because months ago I pointed out a path they’d broken. So instead of fixing 2-3 square metres, they had turned it into a major job. Not happening.
Another time I needed a seal on the toilet, a piece of rubber. The contractor told me he’d give me a whole new bathroom, he just needed me to say I wanted it…
I gave that clown the short shift as well.
These people are the worst. Start digging, it’s journalistic gold.
And then Fletchers deal to do housing work for EQC with no accountability … (to be fair EQC had the work done without funding upgrade of the dodgy foundations which meant no sensible builder would get involved otherwise).
Which means thousands of stuffed houses needing the repair work done again (and foundations too or rinse and repeat) or demolish and compensate.
They would have been wearing fluro vests though wouldn’t they @ DB?
That’s the signal that they’re qualified and ticketed and risk-managed and legitimate apparently.
The Inspector Inspectors needed to come to determine the risk involved and potential claims going forward.
/sarc
They probably needed a 3 ton digger as well so that if necessary, they’d have to call on the resources of a ticketed STMS traffic operator whilst the road was blocked (for more than 3 minutes) whilst it was unloaded.
It’s all apparently so much more efficient and effective
Ekshully @DB – you bloody ingrate!
All they were trying to do probably was to provide you with some “wrap-around” services going forward!!!!, and here you are criticising them for having your best interests at heart. Besides…what the fuck do you know?
You quite obviously just don’t understand the basics in ditch digging, drainage, or animal welfare! Don’t you see the battles some of these contractors face?
What’s wrong with you man?!!!!!
(/sarc)
Why don’t you think positive?
I just walked between Mt Victoria and the Central City in Wellington.
On the way there, I actually witnessed some munter with a couple of 4 x 2s sticking half a mile out the front and back of his vehicle whilst parked and dealing with his cellphone. Surprisingly, the police car that almost got collected by the extruding 4x2s saw fit to go back, and politely suggest to the cellphone ingrossed driver that he might put a warning on the end of the obstruction poking out his rear end.
On the way back, I first encountered 2 fire appliances attending a medical incident instead of a Wellington Free Ambulance – because presumably, they were the closest to the scene (next door…..extept one appliance had ‘Thorndon’ and the other ‘Karori’ on it)
Let’s just be grateful we have ‘joined up services’ going forward. They can wrap it all around us.
Then, as I proceeded up Marjoribanks Street, contrators were working on providing a water to a new ‘sexy’ apartment and shopping complex.
Orange cones, fluro vests were all out in force.
Ciip go the shears boys (and token gal), clip clip clip.
/sarc
The problem was that the STMS bodies were utterly non-compliant. They could well have been the same actors I’d seen during the previous week equipped with clip board and accompanying fluro-vested person, peering through car windows at 2am in the morning to see whether there was anything worth niking.
(actually, there must have been because there’s a resident’s car in Hood Street with a busted quarterlight)
Think positive @ DB. It’s so good to know we now have ‘joined up’ and ‘wrap around’ services, and out-sourced private contractors who’re so willing to pitch in to provide a 3rd world civil sussoighty (going forward)
Just had another contractor here to do the boxing. Insisting the driveway needed to be lifted as part and parcel of replacing some broken pathway. I tried to engage him to look at the actual driveway he kept trying to show me a bic pen drawing (the plan!) of what was happening…
They really want to use their big digger I am not into it. I said why not just take out the broken path and replace that. No worries, I’ve got no problem with that. Yep, says he. Did he hear me?
No, he’s on the phone ordering the digger… I said no! It’s busted pieces, you can lift it out with a spade like I have down the back. He said – get this – it’s manual labor – they won’t do it. He looked horrified at the thought of lifting some shit. Younger than me, bigger than me… 1/2 hours work tops for two of them. Amazing.
They can’t pick up some pieces of concrete and carry them 20 metres tops. I laughed in his face I couldn’t help it. I’ll put it up top of the drive myself.
He was passive-aggressive, then patronising, then agressive, and then threatening that nothing will get done. And I now full of adrenaline and angst from another ignorant unannounced wanker trying to dictate stupidity to me.
“We won’t leave you with a mess some fellas will arrive with topsoil”
I have actual emails from bureaucrats bullshitting and making the most awesomely stupid recommendations as to who best to provide contingency care to a person with very high disability support needs.
Point out the bs and point out the inappropriate advice and bugger me there’s no shame and plenty more where that came from.
And yes, this is the manager of an organization contracted to the Gummint to provide disability supports.
And yes…we did make a complaint…foolish us thinking we had all this clear evidence of complete and utter fuckwittery…and him and his boss and his boss’s boss managed to turn the fault around on to us.
Take the complaint Higher??? What’s the point…its a closed and incestuous system where one is never sure who is up whom and who’s paying.
But, I’d love to see some journo pick this up….try Kirsty Johnston from the herald….she is more than capable of in depth work.
You can get some idea of the approach that National Party directed spin is taking by this post (which inform the “white Russian” army of operatives around media)
First the liar and deciever (mischief maker) conflates a person with good income (but has yet to own a home) with someone who is wealthy (one already having asset wealth).
And second attacks Labour if it does not limit sales of Kiwi Build homes to those on low incomes – as if Labour is siding with the enemy (those on higher incomes if it sells these homes to them).
This indicates a fear of Labours strategy improving the supply of homes and easing the value of proeprty.
If Labour had restricted sales to first home buyers on low incomes – there would be a lack of buyers, slow sales and thus limited growth in supply of new homes (each sale finances further building).
1. Those on good incomes saving to buy will not have to compete with investors or current property owners in buying a Kiwi Build home.
2. Those on lower incomes can still buy into property via doer uppers or flats (at some point Kiwi Build could include those on low incomes upgrading from a one or two bedroom flat to a Kiwi Build family home)
3. More state houses for those who can do none of these.
Looking at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade report it
shows –
Our aid for 2016/17 amounted to $24.1 million.
Help through trade? It seems that we are selling them 5x plus compared to what we are buying from them.
We sold in 2016 a large amount of sugary stuff, dairy products and some iron and steel exports $29.1 million.
We bought in 2016 very little manufactured stuff from them (wood and wood products, coconut oil) exports $5.1 million. Note that our annual sales for 2016 amount to more than our whole annual aid budget. Are we just soaking up our aid and possibly leaving them with little practical benefit. Then allowing them to come and slave here doing hard low-paid seasonal work? Looks like we are good at talking the talk, but…
MFat report says :
The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been a key element in the recent bilateral relationship. Around 2,000 New Zealanders from the New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand Police, other government agencies and volunteer organisations were deployed during the 14 year mission, which concluded in June 2017.
Today, our relationship with Solomon Islands is characterised by regular political dialogue, a strong development partnership and growing people-to-people links.
Trade
Aid
Embassies
Recent official visits
Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI)
In 2003, New Zealand joined Australia and all other Pacific Islands Forum nations to help restore stability, security and prosperity to Solomon Islands. This came after a time of serious conflict and violence between ethnic groups, known as “the Tensions” (1998-2003). The Solomon Islands was experiencing widespread violence, intimidation and corruption and the government was unable to provide basic services such as education and health. This led to the Solomon Islands Government requesting its Pacific neigbours for assistance.
Pacific foreign ministers responded by establishing the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) which focused on helping Solomon Islands to restore law and order, rebuild its public service and reform economic management. In 2013 RAMSI transitioned from a combined military/police/development mission to a solely policing mission focussed on helping build the capability of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force. The mission concluded on 30 June 2017.
Find out more about RAMSI (external link)
Trade
2016 statistics
Total trade in goods
$34.8 million
Exports to Solomon Islands
$29.1 million
Top exports: sugar and sugar cane confectionary,
iron and steel, dairy products
Imports from Solomon Islands
$5.7 million
Top imports: wood and wood products, coconut oil
GDP
US$1.2 billion
GDP per capita US$2,380 (NZ GDP per capita is US$43,837)
GDP growth 3%
The trading relationship between New Zealand and Solomon Islands is modest, accounting for only 3% of our trade in the Pacific.
Fisheries are an important source of income and food for Solomon Islands. We have an agreement that allows New Zealand fishing companies to enter into contracts directly with the Solomon Islands government.
Aid
The New Zealand Aid Programme works with Solomon Islands to achieve sustainable economic growth, improve the quality of their education and make communities safer.
Find out more about our aid progamme in Solomon Islands
Every year Solomon Islanders come to New Zealand to work in our horticulture and wine industries under the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme. Many of them come year after year, and the money they earn and send home is an important source of income for Solomon Islands.
Find out more about the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (external link)
Embassies
New Zealand is represented in Solomon Islands by the New Zealand High Commission, Honiara
Solomon Islands is represented in New Zealand by the High Commission of Solomon Islands, Wellington (external link)
Recent official visits
New Zealand to Solomon Islands
2017: Deptuy Prime Minister Paula Bennett led a high delegation, including New Zealand Defence Force and New Zealand Police officials, to the RAMSI drawdown celebrations.
2017: Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully visited Solomon Islands (Minister McCully also previously visited 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015).
2013: Prime Minister John Key led a delegation to Solomon Islands for the 10th anniversary of RAMSI
2009: Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Satyanand made a state visit to Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands to New Zealand
2017: Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Milner Tozaka visited on the invitation of the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment to observe the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme. He visited later in the year to attend the 10th anniversary of the scheme.
2016: Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Milner Tozaka visited for the Pacific Trade Ministers Meeting and the signing of the revised Joint Commitment for Development with New Zealand.
2014: Prime Minister Gordon Lilo led a delegation to New Zealand
2013: Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister Clay Forau visited New Zealand
2011: Prime Minister Danny Philip came to New Zealand for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting, Auckland https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/pacific/solomon-islands/
I get why greywarshark does that. One links, and most seem unable to simply do the click thing to read what you’re trying to bring to folks’ attention. I sometimes idle under the delusion that folks read the text I put in front of them. Even spoonfeeding doesn’t work.
Sacha
I think it helps the discussion because it presents all the facts relevant at once. I even bolded something to show an interesting point. I put my opinions and connected them up with facts in the linked piece, and didn’t just dump it in as a big blob of stuff with no explanation. I think it is important, and it ties in with National complaining about overseas aid.
In my judgment most people wouldn’t know the details given and I wanted to register the facts. It may not fit what you have been taught about the right way to do things and not match what the guidelines for the site give. However I should be doing something else so put all the info up and people can get the background immediately without wondering and not understanding the matter and background.
I think that reliable factual background stuff does help discussion, though it was longer than I expected. It is an important issue and could be a post but there are so many things going on that I don’t have time to do that But because I think some things are important I put them up when i see them. And not with a one sentence remark that doesn’t supply context. Reading what passes for discussion on some of the threads, I think it is essential to get some meat between the flaky pastry.
If I want to look into an issue, I click on links. If someone wants to make a point, their own words can usually do it more effectively and accurately than a large cut&paste.
But if someone wants me to know that level of detail about an issue, they need to explain to me why I should be interested. Your first two sentences were fine, but I’m damned if I know why the list of recent diplomatic visits is relevant to aid to build a hospital.
Thanks those that have commented. I think that those who are interested in being informed of the wider picture, don’t have to have all the points explained. I joined up the dots enough so that the matter could be understood by such people.
The Solomon Islands is suffering from too much talk and not enough do. When i said that we are better at talking the talk that’s what I meant. Training people in the high art of administration and modern financing is a bit of that ‘I asked you for bread and you gave me a stone’ syndrome.
We all should read the link information properly to get the facts but some who make it their job to disrupt use false narratives instead and we often will see this so I perfer when smeone wants to make a poijnt they are best served by presenting all the words backing those points but soe dont agree.
I could say something about the role of linking in online discussion but hey let me paste a chunk of the wikipedia article instead because I do not trust people to click on a link or to not sneakily edit what’s on the page being linked to. I think it helps the discussion because it presents all the facts relevant at once. Bonus points for reading this on a phone. However I should be doing something else so put all the info up and people can get the background immediately without wondering and not understanding the matter and background. My comfort is more important that everyone else’s experience, after all. You should see how I drive.
A link from one domain to another is said to be outbound from its source anchor and inbound to its target. The most common destination anchor is a URL used in the World Wide Web. This can refer to a document, e.g. a webpage, or other resource, or to a position in a webpage. The latter is achieved by means of an HTML element with a “name” or “id” attribute at that position of the HTML document. The URL of the position is the URL of the webpage with a fragment identifier — “#id attribute” — appended.
When linking to PDF documents from an HTML page the “id attribute” can be replaced with syntax that references a page number or another element of the PDF, for example, “#page=386”.
Link behavior in web browsers
A web browser usually displays a hyperlink in some distinguishing way, e.g. in a different color, font or style. The behavior and style of links can be specified using the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) language.
In a graphical user interface, the appearance of a mouse cursor may change into a hand motif to indicate a link. In most graphical web browsers, links are displayed in underlined blue text when they have not been visited, but underlined purple text when they have. When the user activates the link (e.g., by clicking on it with the mouse) the browser displays the link’s target. If the target is not an HTML file, depending on the file type and on the browser and its plugins, another program may be activated to open the file.
The HTML code contains some or all of the five main characteristics of a link:
link destination (“href” pointing to a URL)
link label
link title
link target
link class or link id
It uses the HTML element “a” with the attribute “href” (HREF is an abbreviation for “Hypertext REFerence”[6]) and optionally also the attributes “title”, “target”, and “class” or “id”:
In a typical web browser, this would display as the underlined word “Example” in blue, which when clicked would take the user to the example.com website. This contributes to a clean, easy to read text or document.
When the cursor hovers over a link, depending on the browser and graphical user interface, some informative text about the link can be shown, popping up, not in a regular window, but in a special hover box, which disappears when the cursor is moved away (sometimes it disappears anyway after a few seconds, and reappears when the cursor is moved away and back). Mozilla Firefox, IE, Opera, and many other web browsers all show the URL. In addition, the URL is commonly shown in the status bar.
Normally, a link opens in the current frame or window, but sites that use frames and multiple windows for navigation can add a special “target” attribute to specify where the link loads. If no window exists with that name, a new window is created with the ID, which can be used to refer to the window later in the browsing session.
Creation of new windows is probably the most common use of the “target” attribute. To prevent accidental reuse of a window, the special window names “_blank” and “_new” are usually available, and always cause a new window to be created. It is especially common to see this type of link when one large website links to an external page. The intention in that case is to ensure that the person browsing is aware that there is no endorsement of the site being linked to by the site that was linked from. However, the attribute is sometimes overused and can sometimes cause many windows to be created even while browsing a single site.
Another special page name is “_top”, which causes any frames in the current window to be cleared away so that browsing can continue in the full window.
History
Douglas Engelbart and his team at SRI, 1969
The term “hyperlink” was coined in 1965 (or possibly 1964) by Ted Nelson at the start of Project Xanadu. Nelson had been inspired by “As We May Think”, a popular 1945 essay by Vannevar Bush. In the essay, Bush described a microfilm-based machine (the Memex) in which one could link any two pages of information into a “trail” of related information, and then scroll back and forth among pages in a trail as if they were on a single microfilm reel.
In a series of books and articles published from 1964 through 1980, Nelson transposed Bush’s concept of automated cross-referencing into the computer context, made it applicable to specific text strings rather than whole pages, generalized it from a local desk-sized machine to a theoretical proprietary worldwide computer network, and advocated the creation of such a network. Though Nelson’s Xanadu Corporation was eventually funded by Autodesk in the 1980s, it never created this proprietary public-access network. Meanwhile, working independently, a team led by Douglas Engelbart (with Jeff Rulifson as chief programmer) was the first to implement the hyperlink concept for scrolling within a single document (1966), and soon after for connecting between paragraphs within separate documents (1968), with NLS. Ben Shneiderman working with graduate student Dan Ostroff designed and implemented the highlighted link in the HyperTIES system in 1983. HyperTIES was used to produce the world’s first electronic journal, the July 1988 Communications of ACM, which was cited as the source for the link concept in Tim Berners-Lee’s Spring 1989 manifesto for the Web. In 1988, Ben Shneiderman and Greg Kearsley used HyperTIES to publish “Hypertext Hands-On!”, the world’s first electronic book.
A database program HyperCard was released in 1987 for the Apple Macintosh that allowed hyperlinking between various pages within a document. In 1990, Windows Help, which was introduced with Microsoft Windows 3.0, had widespread use of hyperlinks to link different pages in a single help file together; in addition, it had a visually different kind of hyperlink that caused a popup help message to appear when clicked, usually to give definitions of terms introduced on the help page. The first widely used open protocol that included hyperlinks from any Internet site to any other Internet site was the Gopher protocol from 1991. It was soon eclipsed by HTML after the 1993 release of the Mosaic browser (which could handle Gopher links as well as HTML links). HTML’s advantage was the ability to mix graphics, text, and hyperlinks, unlike Gopher, which just had menu-structured text and hyperlinks.
Legal issues
Main article: Copyright aspects of hyperlinking and framing
While hyperlinking among webpages is an intrinsic feature of the web, some websites object to being linked by other websites; some have claimed that linking to them is not allowed without permission.
Contentious in particular are deep links, which do not point to a site’s home page or other entry point designated by the site owner, but to content elsewhere, allowing the user to bypass the site’s own designated flow, and inline links, which incorporate the content in question into the pages of the linking site, making it seem part of the linking site’s own content unless an explicit attribution is added.[7]
In certain jurisdictions it is or has been held that hyperlinks are not merely references or citations, but are devices for copying web pages. In the Netherlands, Karin Spaink was initially convicted in this way of copyright infringement by linking, although this ruling was overturned in 2003. The courts that advocate this view see the mere publication of a hyperlink that connects to illegal material to be an illegal act in itself, regardless of whether referencing illegal material is illegal. In 2004, Josephine Ho was acquitted of ‘hyperlinks that corrupt traditional values’ in Taiwan.[8]
In 2000, British Telecom sued Prodigy, claiming that Prodigy infringed its patent (U.S. Patent 4,873,662) on web hyperlinks. After litigation, a court found for Prodigy, ruling that British Telecom’s patent did not cover web hyperlinks.[9]
In United States jurisprudence, there is a distinction between the mere act of linking to someone else’s website, and linking to content that is illegal (e.g., gambling illegal in the US) or infringing (e.g., illegal MP3 copies).[10] Several courts have found that merely linking to someone else’s website, even if by bypassing commercial advertising, is not copyright or trademark infringement, regardless of how much someone else might object.[11][12][13] Linking to illegal or infringing content can be sufficiently problematic to give rise to legal liability.[14][15][16]Compare [17] For a summary of the current status of US copyright law as to hyperlinking, see the discussion regarding the Arriba Soft and Perfect 10 cases.
Somewhat controversially, Vuestar Technologies has tried to enforce patents applied for by its owner, Ronald Neville Langford,[18] around the world relating to search techniques using hyperlinked images to other websites or web pages.[19]
Thanks Sacha I will copy that and put in my Notes for later study. Of course this is instructional about procedural and technical matters and mine was informative about political matters.
But there will be lots to learn from yours beyond the first impression and presume that you weren’t inferring the two lengthy report were the same..
People in NZ sell them things they want or need. Whether we buy stuff from them in return is irrelevant. If they want to even up the trade then they should attempt to sell NZers stuff we want or need.
Oh, I just meant in general. In this instance I have no opinion either way, but the NZDF’s history of coverups and withholding evidence mean I wouldn’t be at all surprised.
Unless you have evidence of a gross abuse of human rights or a deliberate effort to undertake a known criminal activity arresting Politicians for what occurred on their watch would not be a good thing. For a start ALL Politicians could be charged with some sort of negative consequence as they are essentially unavoidable.
Interesting idea – a bit like the old mandatory court martial after a ship is lost, regardless of circumstance.
Upon leaving parliament, every minister is mandatorily investigated for prima facie evidence of treason, corruption, war crimes, and crimes of torture. Say a six month submission period, and only after the investigators’ reports are delivered will the retiring parliamentarian have the possibility of a public honour.
That is not really a new idea. In fact it was the threat of being prosecuted for supposed crimes committed while in Office once he gave up his governorship of Gaul that led to Julius Caesar to cross the Rubicon and eventually to the end of the Roman Republic.
No wonder you’re a libertarian, with such simplistic views of the fall of the roman republic, you’d need the most lightweight of ideologies to cling too.
I suspect that Goosey thought nobody here on the Left would know enough about Julius Caesar, the Roman Republic and Empire to question his brilliant, most erudite thrust…
As an aside, Gosman, I would ask how people can have the evidence to launch prosecutions when the NZDF lie like flatfish and bury the said evidence?
Or are you willing to admit that Hager and Stephenson did a damned good job?
It’s not political persausion, it’s human nature at it’s worst. It’s our attitude, not who we vote for. It’s people abusing the power and authority their position makes available. They come wearing the tie-pins of all political parties.
Ghandi was a socialist too, he cared little for castles and trinkets. He had a cool attitude.
I got the feeling he was dirty on the actions of people, not their origins. I think we would of got the same Ghandi regardless of who was his nemesis.
This is a walk with a strawman. My point is that Venezuela is not failing because it’s being led by a Socialist, it’s failing because it’s being led by an arsehole and they come in all stripes.
Yeah, I think it’s a contributing factor but I can’t get over the pile of anointed greedy people clipping the ticket.
There is a large market for Venezaula’s oil. Many of their woes are by way of a previously plummeting oil price. The price of crude has doubled in the last 12 months. This should be reflected in the standard of living in Venezuela. It just ain’t.
It is always sanctions and never the policies of the government that causes the hardships. Amazing the power other nations have over countries following Socialist policies. Pity the Socialists never can work out how to avoid the impact of these sanctions.
Your mates in Argentina, what about them Gossy? Same sort of disaster is befalling that nation as well. And they all of your ilk.
Maybe you might want to grow up and look at the broader economic issues of the failure of capitalism on a global scale. But you can only do partisan hack, so it might be a bit too much to ask.
I don’t think it is the policies Gosman. Socialism by nature is about all boats rising. As is too often the case, those in a position to have a 100m boat do so, to the detriment of those with holes in their dinghies.
As pointed out by Adam, the wheels are falling off in Argentina. This is not because of the left or right influence in their government, it’s greedy buggers surfing a rort.
Thanks Daveosaurus
I’ve just updated my Firefox so don’t know if that was cause.
Though McFlock said it was okay.
Lprent just a heads up if you’re watching.
my bad. Must have been multitasking and should have affirmed the negative lol.
I couldn’t get in either. Sorry about the completely incorrect response.
Just wondering if Standard readers have heard of Jordan Peterson?
Lefties abroad have labelled him all sorts of nasty things and protest his talks. I was intrigued by the hullabaloo created around this guy so went and listened to the man himself (loads on youtube). He’s an extremely intelligent, reasonable man, and he’s changing aimless young men’s lives for the better. The protesters on the other hand… largely idiots.
There’s an awful lot the left could learn from this man but the blanket hate for all things right denies opportunity for proper discourse with intellects of such caliber.
I was pleased to find this article, as it seems I’m not the only leftie closet Peterson fan:
Opposes abortion, homosexuality, and non-nuclear family kinship structures. Thinks that people having sex outside of marriage should be lined up against a wall and shot. Etc.
A flurry of oil and gas exploration is set to be unleashed in Taranaki during the next 18 to 36 months as companies make decisions on whether to ‘drill or drop’ existing permits.
There are 31 oil and gas exploration permits currently active, 22 are offshore. These permits cover an area of 100,000 square kilometers, nearly the size of the North Island, and run as far out as 2030 and could go an additional 40 years under a mining permit.
I suppose we will find out when the veterinarian pathologist releases their report.
And whether or not there are signs of inner ear bleeding.
Oil and gas companies use seismic airgun blasting to find oil and gas deposits, creating one of the loudest human-made noises in the ocean.
According to government estimates, as many as 138,000 whales and dolphins along the East Coast from Delaware to Florida could soon be injured or possibly killed if seismic blasting is allowed…..
…..The loud and powerful blasts from seismic testing could cause temporary and permanent hearing loss in dolphins and whales. After seismic testing occurred near Peru, about 900 long-beaked common dolphins and black porpoises washed up dead along a stretch of beach. Upon examination, the dolphins were discovered to have had fractures in their ear bones and signs of bleeding from their middle ears.
Greenpeace can’t do anything because they have been held over by the courts until their sentencing for breaching the Anadarko Amendment.
MBIE demanded that this prohibition against protest be given by the judge. And despite voicing some reservation the judge complied.
Under the Anadarko Amendment to the Crown Minerals Act it is illegal to protest or get within 500 metres of an oil prospecting vessel.
At the height of the Springbok Tour protests not even Muldoon could not bring himself to make it illegal to protest, or get within 500 metres of a football stadium.
It is quite likely that as a condition of their sentencing, Greenpeace will be held over indefinitely from protesting against deep sea oil exploration.
Russel Norman Director of Greenpeace Aotearoa, has called the Anadarko Amendment “repugnant”.
Green MP Gareth Hughes has said this law is “egregious”
The late Peter Williams QC, arguably the greatest lawyer this country has ever produced, described the Anadarko Amendment as “undemocratic…. and anti-New Zealand”
Greenpeace had faced fines of up to $200,000 under the 2013 controversial “Anadarko Amendement” in the Crown Minerals Act, which made it an offence to interfere with oil exploration ships at sea.
It was the first time anyone has been charged with the crime.
Appearing via video link from Auckland, Mr Norman and Ms Howell pleaded guilty and were remanded on bail, on the condition that they must not offend again against the Crown Minerals Act.
Judge Geoff Rae questioned whether that was necessary but the lawyer acting for MBIE, Cameron Stuart, argued it was given there were current protests over offshore oil exploration in Taranaki.
Good morning The AM Show Phil Twyford your a good man just count to 3 nobody is perfect Ka pai e hoa.
Condolences to Kingi Taurua Whano he was a good man.
Gary Mc Mcormick is a cool old school Kiwi from Te tairawhiti I remember the days when people did not judge you because of your skin colour they judged you on your actions that’s the man Gary is as is Phil.
The thing about Morgan Freeman is he has admitted to his problem of sexual harassment so he will change his ways if one is in denial that person will not change.
Its good that Jacinda stepped up the intensity on the control of that bovine virus if some cows that appear healthy have to be put down that’s the price we have to pay. As I understand it the virus is only visible to the eye when the animal health is under stress which is while calveing by then calfs could be truck off any were. Dairy is a big part of our economy so we cannot muck around with this. But we need to have more kite to spread our eggs around no.
Ka kite ano.
Newshub I have just started researching my Maori heritage and taking a interest in politics ECO MAORI does not know much about Kingi Ka pai. Ka kite ano. P.S off to mahi
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will introduce legislation to ban deepfake pornography and provide more funding for the eSafety Commission to pilot age-assurance technologies. The contribution of internet sites to gender-based violence was one major issue ...
Average ordinary time hourly earnings, as measured by the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES), increased 5.2 percent in the year to the March 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. Annual wage cost inflation, as measured by the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitrios Salampasis, FinTech Capability Lead | Senior Lecturer, Emerging Technologies and FinTech, Swinburne University of Technology Clem Onojeghuo/Unsplash In the digital era, the job market is increasingly becoming a minefield – demanding and difficult to navigate. According to the Australian Bureau ...
As of the March 2024 quarter, we can now look back on 20 years of data related to youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET), as collected by the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS), according to figures released by Stats NZ today. "The ...
Thousands of workers attended public events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch today to celebrate International Workers’ Day (May Day), but union representatives are urging caution and vigilance over the Government’s blatantly "anti-worker" ...
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3 percent in the March 2024 quarter, compared with 4.0 percent in the previous quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
The PSA is warning the Government that the sensitive information of New Zealanders held by various agencies will fall into the wrong hands if the latest round of proposed cuts goes ahead. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Talitha Best, Professor of Psychology, CQUniversity Australia Victoria Rodriguez/Unsplash How do sugar rushes work? – W.H, age nine, from Canberra What a terrific question W.H! Let’s explore this, starting with some of the basics. What is sugar? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karinna Saxby, Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne MART PRODUCTION/Pexels Increasing income support could help keep women and children safe according to new work demonstrating strong links between financial insecurity and domestic violence. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark A Gregory, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, RMIT University The telecommunications industry faces a major shakeup following the release of the post-incident report on last November’s 12-hour Optus outage. Telecommunications companies will have to share more information with customers during future ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Eden Denyer, bookseller at Unity Books Auckland.Weirdest question/request you’ve had on the shop floorA mother came in looking for anything we might have on Alaskan bison as that was her little boy’s ...
NZCTU Economist Craig Renney said new data released by Statistics New Zealand shows the need for Government to act now, with unemployment rising from 3.4% to 4.3%. ...
The outpouring of anger over Maiki Sherman’s hyperbolic presentation of this week’s ‘nightmare’ poll is itself an overreaction, argues Stewart Sowman-Lund. Politicians love nothing more than to pretend they don’t care about polls. This week, deputy prime minister Winston Peters said he didn’t give a “rat’s derriere” about a TVNZ ...
Asia Pacific Report Ngāti Kahungunu in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay region has become the first indigenous Māori iwi (tribe) to sign a resolution calling for a “ceasefire in Palestine”, reports Te Ao Māori News. Reporter Te Aniwaniwa Paterson talked to Te Otāne Huata, who has been organising peace rallies ...
By Dale Luma in Port Moresby “We want grants and not concessional loans,” is the crisp message from Papua New Guinea businesses directly affected by the Black Wednesday looting four months ago. The businesses, which lost millions after the January 10 rioting and looting, say they need grants as part ...
Happy May Day. Join a union. Q: What’s worse than a staff break room where the only place to sit and have a cup of tea is on a teetering stack of old pornography magazines? A: Your boss replacing the magazine stacks with chairs that are “heartily encrusted with ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Former opposition leader Matthew Wale has been announced as the second prime ministerial candidate ahead of the election in Solomon Islands tomorrow. He will face off against former foreign affairs minister Jeremiah Manele, who was announced by the Coalition for National Unity and Transformation ...
We get but one birthday a year – why not make it last as long as possible by scheduling as many meals with friends and family as you can? This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. How do you celebrate your birthday? Do you celebrate at ...
A Koi Tū discussion paper released today proposes sweeping changes to New Zealand’s media industry. The principal’s key author, Gavin Ellis, explains how journalists have a key role to play in making others value their role in society. This is an abridged version of a piece first published on knightlyviews.com ...
The Government’s spending cuts are again targeting support for Māori with proposed reform of the agency charged with advising on Māori wellbeing and development. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Douglas, Honorary Senior Lecturer, UNSW Aviation., UNSW Sydney The history of budget jet airlines in Australia is a long road littered with broken dreams. New entrants have consistently struggled to get a foothold. Low-cost carrier Bonza has just become the industry’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rosalind Dixon, Director, Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, UNSW Sydney Australia is finally having a sustained conversation about violence against women and what we can do about it. It is more than time. Australian women and girls continue to experience ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne stockfour/Shutterstock Preliminary bulk billing data released this week shows a 2.1% rise in bulk billing up to March. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Schulz, Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide Australia is once again grappling with how we can stop gendered violence in our country. Protests over the weekend show there is enormous community anger over the number of women who are dying and National ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University AnastasiaDudka/Shutterstock What if the government was doing everything it could to stop thieves making off with our money, except the one thing that could really work? That’s how it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury The Conversation It seems to be a time of old favourites. This month our experts have recommended two new seasons – the second season of Alone Australia (although ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland A bright Eta Aquariid meteor photobombed this photo of comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) in May 2020.Jonti Horner Meteors – commonly known as shooting stars – can be seen on any night of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Flannery, Honorary fellow, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Current concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in Earth’s atmosphere are unprecedented in human history. But CO₂ levels today, and those that might occur in coming decades, did occur millions of years ago. ...
Winston Peters has been keen to dismiss speculation on our involvement in Aukus but will give a speech tonight on the direction of our foreign policy, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Usmar, Lecturer in Critical Media Literacies, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images With the coalition government’s ban of student mobile phones in New Zealand schools coming into effect this week, reaction has ranged from the sceptical (kids will just get ...
Hospitals around the country are not allowed to make a single hiring decision without the approval of Te Whatu Ora's head office, including for cleaners and administration staff. ...
A new report on protecting journalism and democracy in New Zealand recommends a levy be charged on global platforms like Facebook and Google to fund media firms undertaking public interest reporting. It also calls for the reinstatement of a powerful Broadcasting Commission to distribute public funding for journalism and other ...
On International Workers' Day, also known as May Day, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi and the wider union movement are celebrating the proud history of the labour movement during a tough time for working people. ...
From bills to beards, a walk through the former Green co-leader’s time in politics. After close to a decade in politics, James Shaw is preparing to bid farewell to parliament. Tonight will see the former minister deliver his valedictory address, certain to be a speech filled with Shaw’s trademark wit ...
Two months ago, MPs unanimously voted to give themselves a week off in Efeso Collins’ honour. On Tuesday, most were too busy to give even an hour of their time. The day Fa’anānā Efeso Collins died, parliament felt different. In a building that operates at a breakneck pace, everyone stopped ...
India’s election involves hundreds of millions of people and is a months-long affair. Here’s how voting works and what’s at stake.The biggest-ever election in world history started on April 19, with more than 10% of the world’s population eligible to vote. Elections in India, the world’s most populous country ...
Opinion: The impression from the carpark is very inviting. The area is well fenced but barred so there is easy visibility of loved ones. Inside, the spaces are welcoming and clean and staff are friendly and clearly comfortable. I am greeted by ‘Kim’. She has worked here for three years, ...
After the Christchurch earthquake, the then-national civil defence boss compared his experience to “putting a team on the rugby field who have never ever played together before”. Now, eight years later – and following a damning inquiry into the emergency response of cyclones Gabrielle, Hale and the Auckland anniversary weekend floods – ...
“I had just come off the end of a major robbery case which I had been working on for six months when I got a call on the afternoon of September 1, 1992, that some remains had been found at a building site in Devonport, so I drove over with ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 1 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Comment: Journalists are very good at telling other people’s stories, but they fall well short when writing about their own profession. Perhaps that is why it is so undervalued. Every successive poll on the public’s attitude toward journalism is more alarming than the last. In the last month we have ...
Opinion: A young Māori woman and her Pacific partner arrive at their local hospital by ambulance. She has gone into labour at just under 24 weeks, but the couple haven’t recognised the symptoms – and don’t know the risks of premature birth for their baby. By the time they arrive, ...
Behind closed doors, NZ First will be arguing fiercely against any watering down of the ministerial decision-making powers in the Bill The post Bishop backtracks after fast-track backlash appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Emotional scenes played out in the Invercargill courthouse on the first two days of the coronial inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones, in which the boy’s mother was accused of disposing of her son’s body. The second season of Newsroom’s award-nominated podcast The Boy in the Water ...
Asia Pacific Report A Pacific civil society alliance has condemned French neocolonial policies in Kanaky New Caledonia, saying Paris is set on “maintaining the status quo” and denying the indigenous Kanak people their inalienable right to self-determination. The Pacific Regional Non-Governmental Organisations (PRNGOs) Alliance, representing some 15 groups, said in ...
Koi Tū New Zealand cannot sit back and see the collapse of its Fourth Estate, the director of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, Sir Peter Gluckman, says in the foreword of a paper published today. The paper, “If not journalists, then who?” paints a picture of an industry ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Foreign investment proposals with implications for Australia’s strategic or economic security will face tougher scrutiny, under a policy overhaul to be announced by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday. At the same time, the government ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia Cameron Prins/Shutterstock If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Eugene Doyle He is the most popular Palestinian leader alive today — and yet few people in the West even know his name. Absolutely no one in Gaza or the West Bank does not know him. That difference speaks volumes about who dominates the media narrative that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will McCallum, PhD Candidate – School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University Earlier this year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of not supporting Operation Sovereign Borders – the military-led border security operation that has “closed Australia’s borders ...
By Melyne Baroi in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinea MP, Peter Isoaimo, who had been ousted by the National Court in an alleged bribery case, has been reinstated by the Supreme Court on appeal. A three-member Supreme Court bench found that the National Court had erred in finding that ...
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/104146375/Government-scraps-plans-to-replace-decile-funding-system-for-schools-with-risk-index
Another broken promise from Labour, they are coming thick and fast.
Chris Hipkins, having scrapped charter schools (presumably prodded with sharp sticks from the teacher unions into reluctantly enacting that singular action) now looks like he wants to step back from the bowel emptying terror of actually doing something to change our slanted and broken education system and collapse with relief into the familiar fug of bullshitting do-nothing managerialism that seems far, far more suited to Labour’s current cowardly crop of neoliberal tinkerers, party apparachiks and do-nothing careerists.
I always said give this government a year to prove itself or otherwise. So far, it has been nothing but a rinse and repeat of National lite.
The risk index was a National Party “initiative”. As such, I expect it was just another way to smash public education, until proven otherwise.
+111
And, knowing National Govts, over time it would also have proven to be a new means of surreptitious under-funding and cutting costs. State schools would have become poorer under a scheme with a fancy new name.
It was a National government plan and one Labour never said they would enact – so no broken promise.
You also seem to be presuming that National’s own plan was not the neo-liberal move (it involved detailed profiling of each family – birth parent or step-parent family etc rather than the more singular income/decile).
One reason it was rejected, the cost of $100M the new Minister said there were better uses that had more immediacy.
A very welcome back TS,
We all missed you yesterday, where did you go?
Were you up on the crown range stuck in the snow?
Anyway welcome home folks.
Lots to cover today, beginning with Tally’s and Stanford’s found in a leaked report to RNZ apparently lying and fixing the amount they are reporting of catching Hoki, but I was not surprised that these two companies were found lying again.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/358066/fishing-industry-s-lies-revealed-in-leaked-report
Quote;
“Some of the country’s biggest fishing companies have been under-reporting their hoki catch by hundreds of tonnes, according to a leaked fisheries report.”
The NZ Fishing industry are a lawless and entitled sector, like big dairy but far, far from the gaze of regulators out at sea.
They are litigious, bullying and dishonest and the politicians are terrified of the way they rush to the courts and to dirty politics the second they are crossed.
Basically, they are our version of the NRA.
I wondered why we got a flurry of warm fuzzy TV ads from the fishing industry recently. They must have known that this 2011 (was it?) report was finally coming out. They seem to be full of promises now.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/104082934/government-dfrops-plan-to-restrict-deep-sea-trawling-protect-orange-roughy
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12049671
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96106426/fishing-company-talleys-bankrolling-shane-jones-nz-first-campaign
Don’t worry about it I’m sure Labour and NZFirst will sort this out
When labour grow some balls as tc says they will.
By the way PR we were talking about the Hoki catch just in case you missed that; – not orange roughy!!!!
Just pointing out that when it comes to the fishing industry in general Labour and NZFirst know how to play the game 🙂
Server problems …
Here is a good piece from Media Lens unpacking MSM blatant misdirection on Israel/Iran/Syria…
http://medialens.org/index.php?option=com_acymailing&ctrl=archive&task=view&mailid=490&key=9afa3e663f1fe0221951b6a50a7875a8&subid=33571-17a82b7ee5289bb302b211d107541de8&tmpl=component
We still are getting false emails from our Microsoft server even though Mark Zuckaberg are pleading in Europe they did nothing wrong?????
Bullshit Mark; – fix this then!!!!!!!
We don’t even have an apple account!!!!!!!!
Quote; this is what we got today.
—————————————————————————————————————
Your Apple ID has been locked out for security reasons.
Dear customer,
We regret to inform that your Apple ID has been locked for security reasons.
We need to confirm your identity because we noticed unusual activity in your account.
Confirm your identity.
This is an urgent matter
Why are you receiving this emails?
Thank you very much.
The Apple Accounts Team.
—————————————————————————————————————–
Looks like a scam to me. There’s one way to find out though: fill in the form and return the email, and let us know how you get on.
of course it is a scam and as I said ‘we are not surprised at the web now, it is ‘the wild west’ again out there being run by crooked corporations no doubt.
Capitalism and the hard right neo-liberals are now very desperate to make a buck it seems.
It’s Buzz Aldrin: he’s using HAARP to hack you.
lol
DONT click on any link!!
Check the email address it come from, see if its an apple address, not some bogus address.
This was found when the text was put into google.
dv – thanks for the ‘constructive feedback – appreciated. 100%
We binned the email straight away and smelt a rat there but we worry haw many are being rorted this way, so we have sent Zuckerberg a challenge fix it or get a real job.
No problem.
Out of curiosity, and it is a serious question, why do you think that this has something to do with Facebook?
I do not, and never will have, anything to do with Facebook but I have had the odd e-mail like these. It never occurred to me that it had anything to do with Facebook. What is the connection?
There’s a rash of these at the moment: purporting to be from Contact Energy, the IRD, “Trade-me”, Amazon, etc. etc.
I’m not sure what Cleangreen thinks Mark Zuckerberg can do about it though. Perhaps he’s mates with Buzz.
Lol – you google that but cannot google the obviously false bitcoins adverts and come on here pretending they are real just because the have key in them.
Lol
Oh James it was you who taught me.
key?
Oh you mean Key!
“Why are you receiving this emails?”
“We regret to inform that….”
Bad grammar, usage and spelling is usually a giveaway that an e-mail is spam.
“This is an urgent matter” Or lack of consistency in punctuation.
These fuckers are reassuringly stupid and greedy.
They’re not betraying their country out of some sort of ideological bent, it’s just the fastest way they can think of to get paid, and never mind the slug-trail of evidence because President!
Russia, Russia, Russia1!!
More anti Russia propaganda again.
We saw today that law changes are afoot in US to scale back the leaking of information and the opposition politicians using intelligence ‘operates’ planted inside politicians offices now.
Some issues are said to arise when this report is released.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/05/23/trump-warns-comey-over-looming-ig-report-on-clinton-case-lot-problems.html
Though Fox is pro-trump we recognise that CNN (that is used by RNZ) is pro-Clinton too.
So we may learn how to reduce the ‘rampant’ levels of “Dirty politics” here in NZ.
The linked story alleges corruption involving Ukraine, moran.
Moron?
Go USA!
Rosemary – I thought the same, so Googled ‘moran’.
It may be that OAB was using a subtle linguistic trick. He may also have simply misspelt it, but I suspect not.
I’m suggesting that Cleangreen is “proud to be ignorant”.
OAB Please act civil will you, not be so insulting and personally using defaming aggressive attacks like that word I wont repeat it is so offensive.
The link we sent is about Trump’s legal team; – about to release a report showing US intelligence being used against his political position and not about Ukraine specifically as you wrongly state, but more about FBI/CIA/NSA using deep state interference and use of ‘source codes’.
We heard about this when whistle blowers came out (Edward Snowden) ilk etc; and Hillary Clinton email contents. which may be very interesting don’t you think?
quote;
” It’s unclear whether Trump has seen that report, but a draft has been circulated internally. Its release is sure to heighten scrutiny on the bureau’s actions in 2016. Already, reports have emerged that the IG will fault the FBI for sitting on a batch of Clinton emails discovered late in the campaign.”
Why are to attempting to derail and change the subject? What has your right wing serial rapist’s propaganda to do with Michael Cohen being greedy and stupid? Stop being so rude: if you must inflict your Clinton drivel on people get some manners and start your own thread.
PM won’t commit to law change if marijuana referendum successful
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/358067/pm-won-t-commit-to-law-change-if-marijuana-referendum-successful
On a side note, it’s good there is talk of bringing the referendum forward as the Government failed to address the urgent need under their medicinal cannabis reform.
However, holding the referendum at the next election would help encourage more Green supporters to come out and vote on the day, thus bringing it forward may not be so beneficial for them (the Greens).
If any journalists want a decent story about corrupt cowboys feeding at the government trough while victimising vulnerable people…
Spencer & Henshaw. Govt contracted for HNZ work.
e.g. 1. Five visits to fit one sliding bolt.
e.g. 2. Four visits to replace one window pane.
e.g. 3. Trying to fight me (physically) when I complained they’d cut the internet line.
e.g. 4. Turning up unannounced anytime and wandering around the place even if you are not home.
e.g. 5. Inspectors to check the inspectors been. Then, inspectors of inspector inspectors. I shit you not.
e.g. 6. Drainage laid without protective layering over pipes, just concrete and fill straight on top of PVC. Regulations – who needs them?
e.g. 7. Demolishing my chicken coop with a digger while the chickens were still in it.
Need I go on? I am only one person. I can’t begin to imagine the extent their double/triple/quadruple billing has on HNZ’s bottom line. Or the psychological damage their bullying entitled strutting round and standing over vulnerable clientele has done.
Don’t feel safe in my own home. Anytime, anywhere, those fuckers could turn up.
Yesterday they arrived unannounced with a 3 ton digger to pull up my driveway. Why? Because months ago I pointed out a path they’d broken. So instead of fixing 2-3 square metres, they had turned it into a major job. Not happening.
Another time I needed a seal on the toilet, a piece of rubber. The contractor told me he’d give me a whole new bathroom, he just needed me to say I wanted it…
I gave that clown the short shift as well.
These people are the worst. Start digging, it’s journalistic gold.
And then Fletchers deal to do housing work for EQC with no accountability … (to be fair EQC had the work done without funding upgrade of the dodgy foundations which meant no sensible builder would get involved otherwise).
Which means thousands of stuffed houses needing the repair work done again (and foundations too or rinse and repeat) or demolish and compensate.
The waste of money under National …
PS Write to the Minister.
They would have been wearing fluro vests though wouldn’t they @ DB?
That’s the signal that they’re qualified and ticketed and risk-managed and legitimate apparently.
The Inspector Inspectors needed to come to determine the risk involved and potential claims going forward.
/sarc
They probably needed a 3 ton digger as well so that if necessary, they’d have to call on the resources of a ticketed STMS traffic operator whilst the road was blocked (for more than 3 minutes) whilst it was unloaded.
It’s all apparently so much more efficient and effective
Ekshully @DB – you bloody ingrate!
All they were trying to do probably was to provide you with some “wrap-around” services going forward!!!!, and here you are criticising them for having your best interests at heart. Besides…what the fuck do you know?
You quite obviously just don’t understand the basics in ditch digging, drainage, or animal welfare! Don’t you see the battles some of these contractors face?
What’s wrong with you man?!!!!!
(/sarc)
Why don’t you think positive?
I just walked between Mt Victoria and the Central City in Wellington.
On the way there, I actually witnessed some munter with a couple of 4 x 2s sticking half a mile out the front and back of his vehicle whilst parked and dealing with his cellphone. Surprisingly, the police car that almost got collected by the extruding 4x2s saw fit to go back, and politely suggest to the cellphone ingrossed driver that he might put a warning on the end of the obstruction poking out his rear end.
On the way back, I first encountered 2 fire appliances attending a medical incident instead of a Wellington Free Ambulance – because presumably, they were the closest to the scene (next door…..extept one appliance had ‘Thorndon’ and the other ‘Karori’ on it)
Let’s just be grateful we have ‘joined up services’ going forward. They can wrap it all around us.
Then, as I proceeded up Marjoribanks Street, contrators were working on providing a water to a new ‘sexy’ apartment and shopping complex.
Orange cones, fluro vests were all out in force.
Ciip go the shears boys (and token gal), clip clip clip.
/sarc
The problem was that the STMS bodies were utterly non-compliant. They could well have been the same actors I’d seen during the previous week equipped with clip board and accompanying fluro-vested person, peering through car windows at 2am in the morning to see whether there was anything worth niking.
(actually, there must have been because there’s a resident’s car in Hood Street with a busted quarterlight)
Think positive @ DB. It’s so good to know we now have ‘joined up’ and ‘wrap around’ services, and out-sourced private contractors who’re so willing to pitch in to provide a 3rd world civil sussoighty (going forward)
“All they were trying to do probably was to provide you with some “wrap-around” services going forward!!!”
You went to their website didn’t you? Eh? Eh?
http://www.spencerhenshaw.co.nz/overview.php
“prides itself on family-based values and roots.”
Just had another contractor here to do the boxing. Insisting the driveway needed to be lifted as part and parcel of replacing some broken pathway. I tried to engage him to look at the actual driveway he kept trying to show me a bic pen drawing (the plan!) of what was happening…
They really want to use their big digger I am not into it. I said why not just take out the broken path and replace that. No worries, I’ve got no problem with that. Yep, says he. Did he hear me?
No, he’s on the phone ordering the digger… I said no! It’s busted pieces, you can lift it out with a spade like I have down the back. He said – get this – it’s manual labor – they won’t do it. He looked horrified at the thought of lifting some shit. Younger than me, bigger than me… 1/2 hours work tops for two of them. Amazing.
They can’t pick up some pieces of concrete and carry them 20 metres tops. I laughed in his face I couldn’t help it. I’ll put it up top of the drive myself.
He was passive-aggressive, then patronising, then agressive, and then threatening that nothing will get done. And I now full of adrenaline and angst from another ignorant unannounced wanker trying to dictate stupidity to me.
“We won’t leave you with a mess some fellas will arrive with topsoil”
“You smashed the path two years ago”
That shut him up.
DB. I am not at all surprised
I have actual emails from bureaucrats bullshitting and making the most awesomely stupid recommendations as to who best to provide contingency care to a person with very high disability support needs.
Point out the bs and point out the inappropriate advice and bugger me there’s no shame and plenty more where that came from.
And yes, this is the manager of an organization contracted to the Gummint to provide disability supports.
And yes…we did make a complaint…foolish us thinking we had all this clear evidence of complete and utter fuckwittery…and him and his boss and his boss’s boss managed to turn the fault around on to us.
Take the complaint Higher??? What’s the point…its a closed and incestuous system where one is never sure who is up whom and who’s paying.
But, I’d love to see some journo pick this up….try Kirsty Johnston from the herald….she is more than capable of in depth work.
And good luck to you sir.
You can get some idea of the approach that National Party directed spin is taking by this post (which inform the “white Russian” army of operatives around media)
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2018/05/more_welfare_for_the_wealthy.html
First the liar and deciever (mischief maker) conflates a person with good income (but has yet to own a home) with someone who is wealthy (one already having asset wealth).
And second attacks Labour if it does not limit sales of Kiwi Build homes to those on low incomes – as if Labour is siding with the enemy (those on higher incomes if it sells these homes to them).
This indicates a fear of Labours strategy improving the supply of homes and easing the value of proeprty.
If Labour had restricted sales to first home buyers on low incomes – there would be a lack of buyers, slow sales and thus limited growth in supply of new homes (each sale finances further building).
1. Those on good incomes saving to buy will not have to compete with investors or current property owners in buying a Kiwi Build home.
2. Those on lower incomes can still buy into property via doer uppers or flats (at some point Kiwi Build could include those on low incomes upgrading from a one or two bedroom flat to a Kiwi Build family home)
3. More state houses for those who can do none of these.
So National says we are paying too much in aid to the Pacific Islands. Yet the Solomons Island hospital is in dire need.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/358085/expired-drugs-patients-sleeping-on-floor-at-solomons-hospital
Looking at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade report it
shows –
Our aid for 2016/17 amounted to $24.1 million.
Help through trade? It seems that we are selling them 5x plus compared to what we are buying from them.
We sold in 2016 a large amount of sugary stuff, dairy products and some iron and steel exports $29.1 million.
We bought in 2016 very little manufactured stuff from them (wood and wood products, coconut oil) exports $5.1 million.
Note that our annual sales for 2016 amount to more than our whole annual aid budget. Are we just soaking up our aid and possibly leaving them with little practical benefit. Then allowing them to come and slave here doing hard low-paid seasonal work? Looks like we are good at talking the talk, but…
MFat report says :
The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been a key element in the recent bilateral relationship. Around 2,000 New Zealanders from the New Zealand Defence Force, New Zealand Police, other government agencies and volunteer organisations were deployed during the 14 year mission, which concluded in June 2017.
Today, our relationship with Solomon Islands is characterised by regular political dialogue, a strong development partnership and growing people-to-people links.
Trade
Aid
Embassies
Recent official visits
Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI)
In 2003, New Zealand joined Australia and all other Pacific Islands Forum nations to help restore stability, security and prosperity to Solomon Islands. This came after a time of serious conflict and violence between ethnic groups, known as “the Tensions” (1998-2003). The Solomon Islands was experiencing widespread violence, intimidation and corruption and the government was unable to provide basic services such as education and health. This led to the Solomon Islands Government requesting its Pacific neigbours for assistance.
Pacific foreign ministers responded by establishing the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) which focused on helping Solomon Islands to restore law and order, rebuild its public service and reform economic management. In 2013 RAMSI transitioned from a combined military/police/development mission to a solely policing mission focussed on helping build the capability of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force. The mission concluded on 30 June 2017.
Find out more about RAMSI (external link)
Trade
2016 statistics
Total trade in goods
$34.8 million
Exports to Solomon Islands
$29.1 million
Top exports: sugar and sugar cane confectionary,
iron and steel, dairy products
Imports from Solomon Islands
$5.7 million
Top imports: wood and wood products, coconut oil
GDP
US$1.2 billion
GDP per capita US$2,380 (NZ GDP per capita is US$43,837)
GDP growth 3%
The trading relationship between New Zealand and Solomon Islands is modest, accounting for only 3% of our trade in the Pacific.
Fisheries are an important source of income and food for Solomon Islands. We have an agreement that allows New Zealand fishing companies to enter into contracts directly with the Solomon Islands government.
Aid
The New Zealand Aid Programme works with Solomon Islands to achieve sustainable economic growth, improve the quality of their education and make communities safer.
Find out more about our aid progamme in Solomon Islands
Every year Solomon Islanders come to New Zealand to work in our horticulture and wine industries under the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme. Many of them come year after year, and the money they earn and send home is an important source of income for Solomon Islands.
Find out more about the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (external link)
Embassies
New Zealand is represented in Solomon Islands by the New Zealand High Commission, Honiara
Solomon Islands is represented in New Zealand by the High Commission of Solomon Islands, Wellington (external link)
Recent official visits
New Zealand to Solomon Islands
2017: Deptuy Prime Minister Paula Bennett led a high delegation, including New Zealand Defence Force and New Zealand Police officials, to the RAMSI drawdown celebrations.
2017: Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully visited Solomon Islands (Minister McCully also previously visited 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015).
2013: Prime Minister John Key led a delegation to Solomon Islands for the 10th anniversary of RAMSI
2009: Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Satyanand made a state visit to Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands to New Zealand
2017: Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Milner Tozaka visited on the invitation of the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment to observe the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme. He visited later in the year to attend the 10th anniversary of the scheme.
2016: Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Milner Tozaka visited for the Pacific Trade Ministers Meeting and the signing of the revised Joint Commitment for Development with New Zealand.
2014: Prime Minister Gordon Lilo led a delegation to New Zealand
2013: Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister Clay Forau visited New Zealand
2011: Prime Minister Danny Philip came to New Zealand for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting, Auckland
https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/pacific/solomon-islands/
Please do not copy and paste big chunks of a readily-available website. How do you think that helps a discussion?
I get why greywarshark does that. One links, and most seem unable to simply do the click thing to read what you’re trying to bring to folks’ attention. I sometimes idle under the delusion that folks read the text I put in front of them. Even spoonfeeding doesn’t work.
All very frustrating.
Sacha
I think it helps the discussion because it presents all the facts relevant at once. I even bolded something to show an interesting point. I put my opinions and connected them up with facts in the linked piece, and didn’t just dump it in as a big blob of stuff with no explanation. I think it is important, and it ties in with National complaining about overseas aid.
In my judgment most people wouldn’t know the details given and I wanted to register the facts. It may not fit what you have been taught about the right way to do things and not match what the guidelines for the site give. However I should be doing something else so put all the info up and people can get the background immediately without wondering and not understanding the matter and background.
I think that reliable factual background stuff does help discussion, though it was longer than I expected. It is an important issue and could be a post but there are so many things going on that I don’t have time to do that But because I think some things are important I put them up when i see them. And not with a one sentence remark that doesn’t supply context. Reading what passes for discussion on some of the threads, I think it is essential to get some meat between the flaky pastry.
Frankly, I skipped over most of it.
If I want to look into an issue, I click on links. If someone wants to make a point, their own words can usually do it more effectively and accurately than a large cut&paste.
But if someone wants me to know that level of detail about an issue, they need to explain to me why I should be interested. Your first two sentences were fine, but I’m damned if I know why the list of recent diplomatic visits is relevant to aid to build a hospital.
No point in trying to satiate anyone…least of all those who can’t be satiated…
There is no way to perfom any action which will meet the variables of ‘everyone’…
As can be seen by those who called out your comment style without addressing the content…
Keep posting the way you do GW…it was detailed and informative….
As it was unsurprising…
NZ is dealt to by larger states, same as NZ deals to smaller states…
A viscious circle indeed…
Thanks those that have commented. I think that those who are interested in being informed of the wider picture, don’t have to have all the points explained. I joined up the dots enough so that the matter could be understood by such people.
The Solomon Islands is suffering from too much talk and not enough do. When i said that we are better at talking the talk that’s what I meant. Training people in the high art of administration and modern financing is a bit of that ‘I asked you for bread and you gave me a stone’ syndrome.
100% greywarshark,
We all should read the link information properly to get the facts but some who make it their job to disrupt use false narratives instead and we often will see this so I perfer when smeone wants to make a poijnt they are best served by presenting all the words backing those points but soe dont agree.
We cant please everyone it seems.
keep up the good work, much appreciated.
I could say something about the role of linking in online discussion but hey let me paste a chunk of the wikipedia article instead because I do not trust people to click on a link or to not sneakily edit what’s on the page being linked to. I think it helps the discussion because it presents all the facts relevant at once. Bonus points for reading this on a phone. However I should be doing something else so put all the info up and people can get the background immediately without wondering and not understanding the matter and background. My comfort is more important that everyone else’s experience, after all. You should see how I drive.
A link from one domain to another is said to be outbound from its source anchor and inbound to its target. The most common destination anchor is a URL used in the World Wide Web. This can refer to a document, e.g. a webpage, or other resource, or to a position in a webpage. The latter is achieved by means of an HTML element with a “name” or “id” attribute at that position of the HTML document. The URL of the position is the URL of the webpage with a fragment identifier — “#id attribute” — appended.
When linking to PDF documents from an HTML page the “id attribute” can be replaced with syntax that references a page number or another element of the PDF, for example, “#page=386”.
Link behavior in web browsers
A web browser usually displays a hyperlink in some distinguishing way, e.g. in a different color, font or style. The behavior and style of links can be specified using the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) language.
In a graphical user interface, the appearance of a mouse cursor may change into a hand motif to indicate a link. In most graphical web browsers, links are displayed in underlined blue text when they have not been visited, but underlined purple text when they have. When the user activates the link (e.g., by clicking on it with the mouse) the browser displays the link’s target. If the target is not an HTML file, depending on the file type and on the browser and its plugins, another program may be activated to open the file.
The HTML code contains some or all of the five main characteristics of a link:
link destination (“href” pointing to a URL)
link label
link title
link target
link class or link id
It uses the HTML element “a” with the attribute “href” (HREF is an abbreviation for “Hypertext REFerence”[6]) and optionally also the attributes “title”, “target”, and “class” or “id”:
link label
To embed a link into a web page, blogpost, or comment, it may take this form:
Example
In a typical web browser, this would display as the underlined word “Example” in blue, which when clicked would take the user to the example.com website. This contributes to a clean, easy to read text or document.
When the cursor hovers over a link, depending on the browser and graphical user interface, some informative text about the link can be shown, popping up, not in a regular window, but in a special hover box, which disappears when the cursor is moved away (sometimes it disappears anyway after a few seconds, and reappears when the cursor is moved away and back). Mozilla Firefox, IE, Opera, and many other web browsers all show the URL. In addition, the URL is commonly shown in the status bar.
Normally, a link opens in the current frame or window, but sites that use frames and multiple windows for navigation can add a special “target” attribute to specify where the link loads. If no window exists with that name, a new window is created with the ID, which can be used to refer to the window later in the browsing session.
Creation of new windows is probably the most common use of the “target” attribute. To prevent accidental reuse of a window, the special window names “_blank” and “_new” are usually available, and always cause a new window to be created. It is especially common to see this type of link when one large website links to an external page. The intention in that case is to ensure that the person browsing is aware that there is no endorsement of the site being linked to by the site that was linked from. However, the attribute is sometimes overused and can sometimes cause many windows to be created even while browsing a single site.
Another special page name is “_top”, which causes any frames in the current window to be cleared away so that browsing can continue in the full window.
History
Douglas Engelbart and his team at SRI, 1969
The term “hyperlink” was coined in 1965 (or possibly 1964) by Ted Nelson at the start of Project Xanadu. Nelson had been inspired by “As We May Think”, a popular 1945 essay by Vannevar Bush. In the essay, Bush described a microfilm-based machine (the Memex) in which one could link any two pages of information into a “trail” of related information, and then scroll back and forth among pages in a trail as if they were on a single microfilm reel.
In a series of books and articles published from 1964 through 1980, Nelson transposed Bush’s concept of automated cross-referencing into the computer context, made it applicable to specific text strings rather than whole pages, generalized it from a local desk-sized machine to a theoretical proprietary worldwide computer network, and advocated the creation of such a network. Though Nelson’s Xanadu Corporation was eventually funded by Autodesk in the 1980s, it never created this proprietary public-access network. Meanwhile, working independently, a team led by Douglas Engelbart (with Jeff Rulifson as chief programmer) was the first to implement the hyperlink concept for scrolling within a single document (1966), and soon after for connecting between paragraphs within separate documents (1968), with NLS. Ben Shneiderman working with graduate student Dan Ostroff designed and implemented the highlighted link in the HyperTIES system in 1983. HyperTIES was used to produce the world’s first electronic journal, the July 1988 Communications of ACM, which was cited as the source for the link concept in Tim Berners-Lee’s Spring 1989 manifesto for the Web. In 1988, Ben Shneiderman and Greg Kearsley used HyperTIES to publish “Hypertext Hands-On!”, the world’s first electronic book.
A database program HyperCard was released in 1987 for the Apple Macintosh that allowed hyperlinking between various pages within a document. In 1990, Windows Help, which was introduced with Microsoft Windows 3.0, had widespread use of hyperlinks to link different pages in a single help file together; in addition, it had a visually different kind of hyperlink that caused a popup help message to appear when clicked, usually to give definitions of terms introduced on the help page. The first widely used open protocol that included hyperlinks from any Internet site to any other Internet site was the Gopher protocol from 1991. It was soon eclipsed by HTML after the 1993 release of the Mosaic browser (which could handle Gopher links as well as HTML links). HTML’s advantage was the ability to mix graphics, text, and hyperlinks, unlike Gopher, which just had menu-structured text and hyperlinks.
Legal issues
Main article: Copyright aspects of hyperlinking and framing
While hyperlinking among webpages is an intrinsic feature of the web, some websites object to being linked by other websites; some have claimed that linking to them is not allowed without permission.
Contentious in particular are deep links, which do not point to a site’s home page or other entry point designated by the site owner, but to content elsewhere, allowing the user to bypass the site’s own designated flow, and inline links, which incorporate the content in question into the pages of the linking site, making it seem part of the linking site’s own content unless an explicit attribution is added.[7]
In certain jurisdictions it is or has been held that hyperlinks are not merely references or citations, but are devices for copying web pages. In the Netherlands, Karin Spaink was initially convicted in this way of copyright infringement by linking, although this ruling was overturned in 2003. The courts that advocate this view see the mere publication of a hyperlink that connects to illegal material to be an illegal act in itself, regardless of whether referencing illegal material is illegal. In 2004, Josephine Ho was acquitted of ‘hyperlinks that corrupt traditional values’ in Taiwan.[8]
In 2000, British Telecom sued Prodigy, claiming that Prodigy infringed its patent (U.S. Patent 4,873,662) on web hyperlinks. After litigation, a court found for Prodigy, ruling that British Telecom’s patent did not cover web hyperlinks.[9]
In United States jurisprudence, there is a distinction between the mere act of linking to someone else’s website, and linking to content that is illegal (e.g., gambling illegal in the US) or infringing (e.g., illegal MP3 copies).[10] Several courts have found that merely linking to someone else’s website, even if by bypassing commercial advertising, is not copyright or trademark infringement, regardless of how much someone else might object.[11][12][13] Linking to illegal or infringing content can be sufficiently problematic to give rise to legal liability.[14][15][16]Compare [17] For a summary of the current status of US copyright law as to hyperlinking, see the discussion regarding the Arriba Soft and Perfect 10 cases.
Somewhat controversially, Vuestar Technologies has tried to enforce patents applied for by its owner, Ronald Neville Langford,[18] around the world relating to search techniques using hyperlinked images to other websites or web pages.[19]
Thanks Sacha I will copy that and put in my Notes for later study. Of course this is instructional about procedural and technical matters and mine was informative about political matters.
But there will be lots to learn from yours beyond the first impression and presume that you weren’t inferring the two lengthy report were the same..
People in NZ sell them things they want or need. Whether we buy stuff from them in return is irrelevant. If they want to even up the trade then they should attempt to sell NZers stuff we want or need.
Martin Bradbury at his best.
Can we arrest Key yet?
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/05/24/so-how-many-times-have-the-nzdf-lied-about-war-crime-allegations-now/
Isn’t there an inquiry underway on this topic?
“Can we arrest Key yet?”
Nope – and it will never happen.
Very true. But the questions “Ideally, should Key be arrested?” is more interesting, anyway.
Would you want the entire top hierarchy of the NZDF arrested as well?
Oh, I just meant in general. In this instance I have no opinion either way, but the NZDF’s history of coverups and withholding evidence mean I wouldn’t be at all surprised.
Unless you have evidence of a gross abuse of human rights or a deliberate effort to undertake a known criminal activity arresting Politicians for what occurred on their watch would not be a good thing. For a start ALL Politicians could be charged with some sort of negative consequence as they are essentially unavoidable.
Interesting idea – a bit like the old mandatory court martial after a ship is lost, regardless of circumstance.
Upon leaving parliament, every minister is mandatorily investigated for prima facie evidence of treason, corruption, war crimes, and crimes of torture. Say a six month submission period, and only after the investigators’ reports are delivered will the retiring parliamentarian have the possibility of a public honour.
That is not really a new idea. In fact it was the threat of being prosecuted for supposed crimes committed while in Office once he gave up his governorship of Gaul that led to Julius Caesar to cross the Rubicon and eventually to the end of the Roman Republic.
I guess you are older than I thought being a confidante to Caeser and all. – So it wasn’t narcissism and ambition after all who’d have thought that?
that escaleted quickly.
Lucky we separate our ministers from direct generalship then, ain’t it.
No wonder you’re a libertarian, with such simplistic views of the fall of the roman republic, you’d need the most lightweight of ideologies to cling too.
I suspect that Goosey thought nobody here on the Left would know enough about Julius Caesar, the Roman Republic and Empire to question his brilliant, most erudite thrust…
As an aside, Gosman, I would ask how people can have the evidence to launch prosecutions when the NZDF lie like flatfish and bury the said evidence?
Or are you willing to admit that Hager and Stephenson did a damned good job?
If they committed a crime – yes.
Why? oh because he has to much of our money now I suppose, it’s always the rich that can dodge the law and the courts of course silly me.
Nice to see many lefties on the Guardian opposing the abomination that is Venezuelan Socialism.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/23/venezuela-dictator-democracy-nicolas-maduro-venezuelans
It’s not political persausion, it’s human nature at it’s worst. It’s our attitude, not who we vote for. It’s people abusing the power and authority their position makes available. They come wearing the tie-pins of all political parties.
Ghandi was a socialist too, he cared little for castles and trinkets. He had a cool attitude.
Except he was a racist
I got the feeling he was dirty on the actions of people, not their origins. I think we would of got the same Ghandi regardless of who was his nemesis.
This is a walk with a strawman. My point is that Venezuela is not failing because it’s being led by a Socialist, it’s failing because it’s being led by an arsehole and they come in all stripes.
Venezuela is failing because of sanctions and the election was people standing up to sanctions despite the hurt they are causing.
Yeah, I think it’s a contributing factor but I can’t get over the pile of anointed greedy people clipping the ticket.
There is a large market for Venezaula’s oil. Many of their woes are by way of a previously plummeting oil price. The price of crude has doubled in the last 12 months. This should be reflected in the standard of living in Venezuela. It just ain’t.
It is always sanctions and never the policies of the government that causes the hardships. Amazing the power other nations have over countries following Socialist policies. Pity the Socialists never can work out how to avoid the impact of these sanctions.
Your mates in Argentina, what about them Gossy? Same sort of disaster is befalling that nation as well. And they all of your ilk.
Maybe you might want to grow up and look at the broader economic issues of the failure of capitalism on a global scale. But you can only do partisan hack, so it might be a bit too much to ask.
I don’t think it is the policies Gosman. Socialism by nature is about all boats rising. As is too often the case, those in a position to have a 100m boat do so, to the detriment of those with holes in their dinghies.
As pointed out by Adam, the wheels are falling off in Argentina. This is not because of the left or right influence in their government, it’s greedy buggers surfing a rort.
Bit of a dirty ol man too davey.
In all of that I didn’t see any evidence for what it claimed.
Were you quite happy with the recent elections in Venezuela Draco?
Do the match the exit polls?
If so then, more than happy. You know they had independant moderation ah Gossy.
Or are you going to tell more lies? Like you one you told about the toilet paper crisis?
Yes.
As I said – there’s no evidence given regarding the election. Just large swathes of make believe.
Has Bill changed his mind about the Bolivarian Revolution ?
https://thestandard.org.nz/meanwhile-in-some-good-news/
Woohoo Gossy, not good to attack authors.
Furthermore, when I went to school the word was ‘Bolivian’.
Reinventing the English language as well as history, are we Gossy?
He may have been showing off about his SA knowledge,
About Simon Bolivar of Venezuela.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sim%C3%B3n_Bol%C3%ADvar
Fair enough.
Was anyone else unable to get through to The Standard yesterday (Wedn) from lunchtime to dinner?
not me
Yes, it looks like it was completely down from a bit after 10 am until late – see yesterday’s Open Mike and all the comments that aren’t there.
Thanks Daveosaurus
I’ve just updated my Firefox so don’t know if that was cause.
Though McFlock said it was okay.
Lprent just a heads up if you’re watching.
Mickysavage at 2.4 says it was server problems.
my bad. Must have been multitasking and should have affirmed the negative lol.
I couldn’t get in either. Sorry about the completely incorrect response.
greywarshark,
Yes we were all down for all day until late in the night it was still down.
I waited till early today to see it back see me on 2 welcome TS back.
Just wondering if Standard readers have heard of Jordan Peterson?
Lefties abroad have labelled him all sorts of nasty things and protest his talks. I was intrigued by the hullabaloo created around this guy so went and listened to the man himself (loads on youtube). He’s an extremely intelligent, reasonable man, and he’s changing aimless young men’s lives for the better. The protesters on the other hand… largely idiots.
There’s an awful lot the left could learn from this man but the blanket hate for all things right denies opportunity for proper discourse with intellects of such caliber.
I was pleased to find this article, as it seems I’m not the only leftie closet Peterson fan:
http://quillette.com/2018/05/22/jordan-peterson-failure-left/
Discussion would be great. Shrill nonsense would be expected on facebook and other low quality rags… 😀
Jordan Peterson.
Opposes abortion, homosexuality, and non-nuclear family kinship structures. Thinks that people having sex outside of marriage should be lined up against a wall and shot. Etc.
What a ridiculous statement. He doesn’t oppose any of those things. And you also know what he thinks, etc?
It is obvious you know nothing about his work.
You are the reason people left the left in droves.
It’s so comforting to have you around DB. Everything is wobbly in this uncertain world, but you remain stalwart in your views.
I feel ambivalent about Jordan Peterson, who’s undoubtedly intelligent, provocative, and stimulating.
If you’re interested in a counter view: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/03/the-intellectual-we-deserve
Related?
“Eight dead sperm whales found on Taranaki Beach”
Newshub – 24 May, 2018
I suppose we will find out when the veterinarian pathologist releases their report.
And whether or not there are signs of inner ear bleeding.
Jenny;
Thanks for that
Yes we believe the sinsmic sooms cause disruption to the whales senory sysrtems as all manals use electricity as it signals the brain and tisues.
Has the Amazon Warroir returned?
Greenpeace should be alerted to this by now?
this is so sad.
Greenpeace can’t do anything because they have been held over by the courts until their sentencing for breaching the Anadarko Amendment.
MBIE demanded that this prohibition against protest be given by the judge. And despite voicing some reservation the judge complied.
Under the Anadarko Amendment to the Crown Minerals Act it is illegal to protest or get within 500 metres of an oil prospecting vessel.
At the height of the Springbok Tour protests not even Muldoon could not bring himself to make it illegal to protest, or get within 500 metres of a football stadium.
It is quite likely that as a condition of their sentencing, Greenpeace will be held over indefinitely from protesting against deep sea oil exploration.
Russel Norman Director of Greenpeace Aotearoa, has called the Anadarko Amendment “repugnant”.
Green MP Gareth Hughes has said this law is “egregious”
The late Peter Williams QC, arguably the greatest lawyer this country has ever produced, described the Anadarko Amendment as “undemocratic…. and anti-New Zealand”
“Repugnant”, “egregious” and “anti-New Zealand”
in one word, ‘Brutal..’
Good morning The AM Show Phil Twyford your a good man just count to 3 nobody is perfect Ka pai e hoa.
Condolences to Kingi Taurua Whano he was a good man.
Gary Mc Mcormick is a cool old school Kiwi from Te tairawhiti I remember the days when people did not judge you because of your skin colour they judged you on your actions that’s the man Gary is as is Phil.
The thing about Morgan Freeman is he has admitted to his problem of sexual harassment so he will change his ways if one is in denial that person will not change.
Its good that Jacinda stepped up the intensity on the control of that bovine virus if some cows that appear healthy have to be put down that’s the price we have to pay. As I understand it the virus is only visible to the eye when the animal health is under stress which is while calveing by then calfs could be truck off any were. Dairy is a big part of our economy so we cannot muck around with this. But we need to have more kite to spread our eggs around no.
Ka kite ano.
Newshub I have just started researching my Maori heritage and taking a interest in politics ECO MAORI does not know much about Kingi Ka pai. Ka kite ano. P.S off to mahi
The AM Show its good to see William Jackson on the Show Ka pai Whano
Te sandflys are playing with themselves again the – – – – – – haaaaaaaasassaaa here some music so they know that ECO MAORI is— link
https://youtu.be/ktvTqknDobU
This is for te pain in the ASS.link
https://youtu.be/M66U_DuMCS8
https://youtu.be/fKopy74weus
Ka kite ano